Sterile hydrotherapy bath



April 29, 1969 E. T. OATMAN ET AL 3,441,015

STERILE HYDROTHERAPY BATH Sheet Filed Jan. 30, 1967 INVENTORS E DWA R D T. OATM AN H ELE N M. OATMAN may: & Janna? April 1969 E. T. OATMAN ET AL STERILE HYDROTHERAPY BATH Sheet of 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1967 Ill! HEATER Q WATER FINAL FILTER SUPPLY NN AA MM w? M 00 V NTM I D m L WE H E United States Patent 3,441,015 STERILE HYDROTHERAPY BATH Edward T. Oatman and Helen M. Oatman, both of 642 Lipizzan Way, El Cajon, Calif. 92020 Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,414 Int. Cl. A61h 9/00; A61m 11/00; A47k 3/10 US. Cl. 12866 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A large hydrotherapy tank is provided with high rate continuous circulation and filtration of the water which is also maintained at the required temperature; surface contaminants are removed entirely by controlled surface flow, the water being automatic-ally replaced to maintain the level; overhead spraying is also provided without affecting the physical or sterility levels of the water.

Background of the invention The invention relates to hydrotherapy apparatus and particularly to a sterile hydrotherapy bath for continuous use.

In conventional techniques of hydrotherapy it is usual, for sterility, to drain, clean and refill the tank after each use. With a large full body immersion tank this can take as long as two hours and is very wasteful of hot water. When treating burned patients in particular, the water is rapidly contaminated by medical greases, blood and skin particles, which is unpleasant for the patient if not removed but adequate cleaning is diflicult during treatment.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides continuous circulation and filtering of the water, which is maintained at the correct temperature and level. Contaminants on or near the surface are swept off and completely removed by a controlled surface flow, greatly reducing the filtration requirements for the main body of water. The apparatus does not interfere in any way with operation of normal equipment, but adds to the effectiveness of the bath and the well being of the patient.

In some instances it is desirable to spray the patient with water, usually cold, while the patient is held above the bath. This feature has been incorporated and operates without affecting the sterility or level of water in the tank. The system is readily adaptable to many difi'erent types and sizes of tanks and can be connected into conventional plumbing installations.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a full 'body immersion tank, showing the incorporation of the water circulation system; and

FIGURE 2 is a diagram of the complete plumbing system, with the tank indicated in section.

Description 0 the preferred embodiment The tank 10, illustrated in FIGURE 1, is a typical full body immersion tank and can be fitted with a variety of accessories, such as the agitator 12. At the head end of the tank 10 is a hanger 14 with hooks 16 to support one end of a pallet on which the patient is carried, the hanger being fixed to a bar 18 which is vertically adjustable in a post 20 external of the tank. This arrangement is conventional and may vary in detail from that shown.

Modifications to the tank itself include a lower inlet 22 at the head end near the bottom of the tank and an upper inlet 24 at the same end, substantially at the normal water line indicated at 26. Both inlets 22 and 24 extend hori- 3,441,015 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 34 leads directly to a drain to dispose entirely of the water and contaminants skimmed from the surf-ace of the water. Bottom outlet 28 is connected to a return pipe 36 which leads to a recirculation system '38, in which the water is filtered and heated, the treated water being pumped through a feed pipe 40 to both inlets 22 and 24. A proportional control valve 41 is installed between inlets 22 and 24 to adjust the proportion of water flow delivered to each inlet.

In the recirculation system '38 the return pipe 36 leads through a two-way valve '42 to a pair of filters 44 and 46 in parallel, the filters being coupled through a further two-way valve 48 to the inlet side of a pump '50. From the outlet side of pump 50 the water passes through a final filter 52 and into a heater '54, from which heated water is supplied to feed pipe 40. The filters can be any suitable available units and the heater is a conventional thermostatically controlled type which will provide water at a present constant temperature. To replace the loss of water through drain pipe 34, water from a utility supply source is fed into the heater 54, a control valve 56 being installed in the supply line 58 to regulate the flow so that a constant level is maintained in tank 10. Also in the supply line 58 is a selector valve 60 by which the replacement source water can be directed selectively to the heater or to a riser pipe 62, which leads to a spray head 64 above the tank 10. All of the water from spray head 64 will normally fall into the tank, so the level remains constant regardless of where the source water is directed. Selector valve 60 may be of the proportional control type which will direct a variable portion "of the water to the spray head and the remainder to the heater. By this means the flow from the spray head can be controlled as necessary without disturbing the total supply, which is regulated by valve 56. All of the plumbing components are conventional.

For sterilization of the water a chemical additive such as chlorine is added by drip feed from a container 66, a regulator 68 controlling the flow through a pipe 70, which preferably extends well down into tank 10 to prevent the chlorine from being swept away in the surface flow. The correct rate of addition for the chlorine is determined in the normal manner when the bath is initially set up and operating, small test kits for this purpose being readily available.

The overhead spray is located to cooperate with the conventional patient handling apparatus used with the tank. This usually includes some type of ceiling mounted travelling hoist 72 from which is suspended a pallet 74, which may be fully or partially rigid, or incorporate sling portions to hold a patient. When in the bath, one end of pallet 74 is supported on hooks 16 to steady the pallet, the weight being supported by hoist 72. For spray treatment the pallet is raised and held up against hooks 76 attached to stay bars 78, which hang from the ceiling at opposite ends of the pallet, the two positions being indicated in FIGURE 2.

The pump, filter and heater system is preferably a large capacity type capable of recirculating the entire contents of the tank in two or three minutes. Systems of this capacity are used for swimming pools and are readily adaptable to the present purpose. At a high rate of flow the wide inlets and outlets ensure maximum circulation of the water, since the currents are quite strong. The surface flow from inlet 24 sweeps surface debris to the opposite end of the tank, where it is carried through the skimming outlet 32 with the overflow. Either filter 44 or 46 may be cleaned while the system is operating, which is a partic-' ular advantage when treating a burned patient, since contamination may be excessive upon initial immersion. It has been found that the water clears very rapidly, even in extreme cases, which is most desirable for psychological as well as medicinal reasons. Due to the surface skimming and initial filtering of the main body of water, the final filter 52 will receive very little debris and only occasional servicing will be necessary. For some cases there may not be much surface contamination, or the contamination may be removed quickly during the first part of the treatment, making it unnecesary to maintain a high surface flow. In such instances the proportional control valve 41 may be set to reduce or cut off flow to the inlet 24, allowing all the incoming water to enter inlet 22 without changing the total rate of flow. The subsurface currents will thus be increased by the added flow, providing good agitation and cleaning of the water in the lower portion of the tank. There will still be some water drained through outlet 32 due to overflow, which will carry off any debris which might float to the surface from the subsurface agitation. Valve 41 thus provides for selective surface or subsurface flow, or proportional combined flow, according to specific requirements.

It will be noted that the overhead spray head 64 is fed directly from the water source and therefore receives cold water, but a heating stage may be added if required. However, the primary use of the overhead spray is to provide a sudden change of temperature from the warm bath. This technique is often used for shock treatment of alcoholics and other such cases. Spraying is carried out with the patient over the tank, so the water falls into the tank and maintains the level. In any event the skimming outlet 32 acts as an overflow to limit the depth of water, so it is a simple matter to adjust the control valve 56 to ensure that the level does not fall so far that the flow through the skimming outlet is insufficient to carry debris. In relation to the total volume of water in the tank, the amount added by the cold spray is small and will not affect the bath temperature noticeably, especially since the water is beng continuously heated during circulation.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

We claim:

1. In combination with a hydrotherapy tank, a continuous water circulation and treatment system comprismg:

a subsurface inlet in one end of said tank;

a subsurface outlet in said tank remote from the inlet;

a high flow rate pumping system operatively connected between said outlet and said inlet and including a pump, filter means and heating means;

surface skimming means in said tank to rtmove and dispose of surface water and contaminants;

and a replacement source of water connected to said tank to maintain a substantially constant level there- In.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said skimming means includes an upper inlet in said tank adjacent said first inlet substantially at the normal water level in the tank and being connected to said pumping system;

and a skimming outlet in said tank at normal water level, remote from said upper inlet, said skimming outlet being connected to a drain.

3. The combination according to claim 2, and including a proportional fiow control valve means effectively coupled between said subsurface inlet and said upper inlet in said pumping system, to provide selective surface and subsurface flow and combined proportional flow thereof.

4. The combination according to claim 1 and includmg:

a spray head mounted above said tank and directed into the tank;

a selector valve connected to said replacement source of water and being coupled to said spray head and to said heating means for selective direction of the replacement water.

5. The combination according to claim 4 and further including fiow control means between said replacement water source and said selector valve.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said filter means includes a pair of filters connected in parallel between said subsurface outlet and said pump and having means for selective operation;

and a final filter connected between said pump and said heating means.

7. The combination according to claim 1 and including a source of sterilizing material, and means to convey a regulated flow of the material into said tank well below the surface of the water.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,237,435 4/1941 Iue 4-180 3,366,110 1/1968 Gaylord 128--248 L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner.

U.S.Cl.X.R.

l28l72; 4l78, 179 

